Shadow Raiders - Episode 3.8:

THE END OF A PLANET

By: Elektra

Another wave from the aligned planets knocked out most of the Beast Armada. A cheer went up from all fighters.

"Ok... let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still haven't been able to destroy the Beast!" Graveheart said from the cockpit of his shuttle.

"But... look! We've damaged it! Pyrus replied through the speakers.

"Still, Graveheart is right. We have yet to destroy the Beast planet..." Cryos answered, "and... I do not know if we even CAN!"

***

Jewelia fired her weapon at the Beast. She was so blinded by her anger that she didn't notice the hand of the Monster machine come down towards her. It picked her up as if she was merely an annoying insect, then tossed her aside. She landed hard against the wall, and slumped to the ground.

"Jewelia...!" Sternum shouted, and quickly knelt beside her.

"I ... will kill myself... first... before I let it... live!" She gasped as she tried to bite down the pain.

"You won't have to kill yourself! IT will kill you FIRST!!" Lamprey answered from the ground a few feet away. She slowly sat up, "You will regret hitting me, Crystal woman!"

"There are only two things that I have regretted in my life! Hitting you is not one of them!" Jewelia replied, and shakily got to her feet.

The Planet shook again. Wires broke away from the wall, and hung lose - sparks flying from their unprotected ends.

The Beast picked Lamprey up in its large hand. "You have let us down, servant. We must punish you now..."

"No!" Lamprey cried, "Please... no!"

The Beast did not let up, and began to squeeze. Lamprey screamed.

Sternum and Jewelia watched in horror as Lamprey's body began to glow. The Beast's 'fingers' dug into her flesh, absorbing any energy from her into Itself.

"THAT'S what it does! It ingests the energy from it's victims!" Sternum said. "THAT was why Planets Fire and Crystal looked as they did. All life. All ENERGY had been burnt away and sucked dry by the Beast!"

After what seemed like an eternity, the Beast let Lamprey slip from it's fingers. She fell to the ground, limp. Sternum went up to her... but it was too late. She was gone.

The Beast then reached for Sternum.

***

"What on Rock...?" Jade muttered as she noticed a strange blip on her console. She studied it, and realized what it was, "They're ALIVE?"

"What? Who's alive?" Cryos asked through the monitors.

"Jewelia and Sternum!! Look at your sensors! The Beast Planet is damaged and its shields have weakened. We can locate the Arrowhead Jewelia piloted. It is in one piece!' Jade answered.

"Then let's go get them!!" Pyrus said.

"No, child! We cannot go in there! They will have to find a way out THEMSELVES!" Jade answered.

***

"STERNUM!" Jewelia shouted. She jumped into action and pushed him out of the way. The Beast grabbed HER instead. It hesitated for only a moment... then began Its 'meal'. Jewelia screamed.

Sternum jumped to his feet and quickly went to the leg of the Beast. He began tearing the wires apart with his claws.

"You will regret challenging us..." the Beast spoke.

"I said... there are... only... two... things ... I ... regret... " Jewelia gasped as her energy was drained away.

"We do not care. THIS will be your third regret!" It answered.

"No... my regrets... are.... " Jewelia tried to speak through the pain, "Killing... my ... Mother..." She said, then screamed again as pain racked her body.

"I will short circuit you, BEAST!" Sternum shouted, and climbed up the leg, ripping at more and more wires. Again, the planet shook. Sternum eyed a loose, sparking wire hanging dangerously close to the Beast's shoulder.

"And ... letting... him... go...." Jewelia finished.

Sternum briefly wondered whom she was speaking of, but couldn't concern himself with that at the moment.

The former Emperor of Bone quickly climbed his way to the Beast's shoulder. Now, it was the BEAST'S turn to feel pain! He grabbed the loose wire, and jammed it into the Beast's arm. Sparks flew forth, and the hand holding Jewelia spasmodically opened and closed.

Sternum jumped onto the Beast's knee and caught Jewelia as she slipped through Its fingers. He quickly leapt to the ground.

Sparks began spewing from the Beast's arm, and the wires began to burn. Slowly, the arm became detached from the body, and clattered to the ground. Sternum barely jumped out of the way on time. He and Jewelia landed hard on the cold metal.

Sternum instantly jumped to his feet as the planet shook once more. Around him, the metal walls slowly began bending. "Shields down. Shields down." The Beast said, "Destruction eminent."

"GOOD!" Sternum replied, and grabbed another sparking wire, and crammed it into the Beast's leg. The leg began short-circuiting the same way the arm had. He grabbed Jewelia's gun from the ground, and fired at the sparks. The weapon's fire ignited a flame that spread out over the exposed wires on the metal creature.

"We had better get out of here!!" Sternum said as he threw a semi-conscious Jewelia over his shoulder, "Before we explode along WITH it!"

***

"FLAMES!!" Cryos shouted as he looked out the view screen on the Aurora, "There are FLAMES coming from WITHIN the Beast planet!"

The flames coming forth from the Beast Planet's mouth began to consume the large metal claw.

"We didn't do THAT!" Jade said. "Something inside did!"

Suddenly, a piece of the Beast Planet began to break away... and with the piece, something came out. Something --- the size of Planet Fire.

***

Sternum threw the semi-conscious Jewelia into the back of the Rock shuttle, and turned the Arrowhead towards the opening. "We are getting out of here!" he said, and brought the shuttle up to full speed. "NOW!"

***

Planet Fire floated dead in space... until the blue glow around Planets Sand, Ice, Rock, and Bone, surrounded it. The glow pulled it into alignment with the others... and the planet began to come to life.

"Planet Fire is burning again!!" Pyrus gasped as he watched from the view screen of his shuttle.

A stronger wave hit the Beast Planet, chipping away another piece - and freeing another planet. The new Planet was engulfed by the strange glow, and was again brought in line with the others.

"Planet TEK!" Tekla cried.

The energy waves became stronger.

As more and more pieces of the Beast Planet were chipped away, more and more of its victims were freed. Each new planet aligned with the others, and each time the waves became stronger.

The Beast Planet was dying.

***

Sternum saw the ball of fire coming towards the back of the shuttle, and floored it. "I refuse to die with the BEAST!" He hissed.

Finally, the smoke in front of him cleared and he was able to see the familiar darkness of space - and the new weapon the united planets of the alliance had made.

***

All the pieces had fit into place, just as the Earth people had said. Rock, Fire, Ice, Bone, Tek, Water, Sand, Crystal, and Reptizar were united.

With one last wave of energy, the Beast planet went down in flames.

EPISODE NINE

Go back to the fanfic page